From Setback to Victory — Emilie Fleten Conquers Vasaloppet Again

Vasaloppet is never just a 90-kilometre ski race. It is a test of preparation, endurance, tactics — and equipment. In 2026, Emilie Fleten once again proved why she belongs among the greats of long-distance skiing.

The first Sunday of March is a special day in the Nordic skiing calendar.

Since 1948, Vasaloppet has traditionally been held on the first Sunday of March, bringing thousands of skiers to the historic 90-kilometre journey from Sälen to Mora. In 2026, the 102nd edition delivered exactly the kind of challenge that makes Vasaloppet legendary.

The race started at 08:00 in Berga by, with temperatures around -1°C and heavy snowfall. Around 15 centimetres of fresh snow had fallen overnight, creating slow, loose and demanding conditions from the very beginning.

For the athletes, this meant that the race would demand more than simply physical strength. The changing snow conditions placed enormous demands on technique, pacing and, perhaps most importantly, ski preparation.

A different Vasaloppet

Emilie Fleten arrived in Sälen with unfinished business.

She had already won Vasaloppet twice, in 2023 and 2024. But in 2025, everything went wrong. A setback in the ski preparation left her fourth — a frustrating result for an athlete who knew she had the capacity to fight for victory.

That fourth place became part of the motivation for 2026.

This time, the objective was clear: get the ski preparation right, especially for difficult and changing snow conditions, and give Emilie the material she needed to fight for the win.

At SNOOW, this became a major focus.

Finding the right formula

Fresh snow and changing conditions can be among the most demanding situations for ski technicians.

The balance is delicate. The skis need to glide efficiently without becoming overly sensitive to the loose snow. They need to maintain performance as the track changes, while still providing the athlete with confidence and control over 90 kilometres.

During the preparation for Vasaloppet, we worked extensively on the formulas and tuning for these conditions.

The goal was simple:

Create skis that would continue performing when the conditions became increasingly demanding.

And on March 1, the test arrived.

Fleten takes control

The opening kilometres were anything but easy.

With no proper tracks in the starting section, Emilie found herself slightly further back than planned. The large men's field also created congestion, making it difficult for her to immediately use the ski advantage she had hoped for.

But she stayed patient.

As the race developed, Emilie moved through the field and into the decisive part of the race. At Risberg, 35 kilometres into the race, she won the women's sprint prize. At Evertsberg, she took the Bergspris — just 25 seconds behind the leading man, Vebjørn Moen.

Then she accelerated.

At Oxberg, Emilie had created a 21-second gap over Anikken Gjerde Alnæs and Julie Støstad.

At Hökberg, the advantage had grown to one minute.

At Eldris, with only nine kilometres remaining, it was two minutes.

The race was hers.

Emilie skied alone towards Mora, able to enjoy the final kilometres and wave to the crowds as she entered the finish.

4:24:26.

Victory.

Three-time Vasaloppet champion

With her 2026 victory, Emilie Fleten became a three-time Vasaloppet winner, adding another chapter to an already remarkable story.

Her Vasaloppet record now reads:

2023 — 1st
2024 — 1st
2025 — 4th
2026 — 1st

And there is something particularly satisfying about that sequence.

The disappointment of 2025 was not forgotten.

It became part of the preparation.

The setback became motivation.
The lessons became development.
And the development became victory.

When preparation makes the difference

For us at SNOOW, Emilie's victory is also a story about what happens behind the scenes.

A race like Vasaloppet is decided by thousands of small details. The athlete provides the strength, endurance and determination. The waxing and ski-preparation team has the responsibility of making sure the skis are ready to perform when it matters most.

In 2026, after the lessons learned from the previous year's disappointment, we put significant effort into developing and tuning the ski preparation specifically for the challenging snow conditions expected at Vasaloppet.

The result was not just a fast ski at the start.

It was a ski that continued to deliver when the snow became heavy, the tracks became slower and the physical demands increased.

That is what we are looking for with SNOOW:

performance that lasts.

From failure to winning again

There is an old saying in sport that you learn more from your failures than your victories.

For Emilie Fleten and the team around her, Vasaloppet 2025 provided a painful lesson.

One year later, that lesson had been turned into something else.

A better preparation.
A better understanding of the conditions.
A better ski.

And ultimately, another Vasaloppet victory.

Last year's failure became this year's winning formula.

Congratulations to Emilie Fleten and Team Ramudden on an outstanding Vasaloppet 2026.

At SNOOW, we are proud to have been part of the journey.

We never stop exploring.

Team SNOOW